The first thing that strikes you upon entering the holy city from Jeddah is the number of mighty yellow-and red-colored cranes on the skyline from all the ongoing construction projects in Makkah. Where once stood old buildings, multistory hotels and even hills, there is now leveled land fenced off by metal sheets. Inside, construction workers are busy erecting massive towers that will house pilgrims in the coming years.

One of busiest areas on the Holy Mosque’s western side when you enter from Jeddah used to be the Shamia district. It is completely under construction now. This district used to house hundreds of pilgrims from South Asia and Arab countries. Some of the pilgrims who have been to Makkah in the past look longingly at the area and try to figure out where they had stayed on past visits.

“Everything has changed in five years,” said Mukhtar Nadwi, a pilgrim from Saharanpur, India. “I was here in 2005 along with my wife and my mother. We used to stay at a hotel just opposite Bab Al-Umrah, which is one of the many imposing gates leading into the Holy Mosque. I went there last night to see if I could find the place, but there is no trace of it. The whole area is unrecognizable.” He wondered where the Bangladeshi man who helped his aging mother those days was.

Pakistani national of Yemeni origin Syed Ashfaq Muscati is also amazed by the speed with which Makkah's skyline has changed. “I was here six years ago, and our group of pilgrims was staying in an old building located behind Ibrahim Khalil Road,” he said. “The whole area is now part of the massive Jabal Omar project. I remember the tiny Pakistani eatery where we would go to have our favorite subcontinental food — all that is gone. We are told that huge buildings will be coming up here.”

Both Nadwi and Muscati are this time staying in Makkah's Aziziah district. It is quite a distance from the Holy Mosque, but pilgrim establishments and tour operators are providing shuttle services between Aziziah and the Holy Mosque. The free shuttles operate through the tunnels that have been specifically created for these 40-seat coaches. “It is an excellent service. They drop us at the basement of the Makkah Clock Tower, and in a matter of minutes we are in the courtyard of the Holy Mosque. We take a similar route going back,” Nadwi said.

Aziziah district is one of Makkah’s best-planned areas, featuring comfortable accommodation and a road network leading straight to the Holy Mosque through a tunnel reserved for pilgrims. Since the beginning of the massive construction projects around the holy city, Saudi authorities have been promoting Aziziah as a planned Haj township. Although it is a considerable distance from the Holy Mosque, because of the construction and consequent congestion, it is nonetheless a viable housing alternative. In the past, Aziziah used to be favored by Emiratis, Indonesians and Bahrainis. They would deliberately opt for Aziziah in order to avoid problems associated with buildings closer to the Grand Mosque.

The lack of residential space in the areas in the immediate proximity of the Grand Mosque has forced many private tour operators, especially from India and Pakistan, to cut down on the number of pilgrims they would normally bring in during Haj time. “People back home in Pakistan have now become very conscious of where they will be staying,” said Zahiruddin Jamaluddin Abro from Sukkur in Pakistan’s Sindh province. “They demand that we tell them the name of the hotels we arrange for them to stay in and the areas in which these hotels are located. They then go on Google and find out the exact location and distance between their hotel and the Grand Mosque.”

He added that in the past, Pakistani Haj operators had no such problem, hiring the best possible hotels very close to the Grand Mosque. “People are ready to pay, they need services. Our business runs on word of mouth. If we don’t deliver what we have promised then next year nobody would come to us. The returning pilgrims would approach the media, and then all our credibility would be lost,” he added.

Abro says they now tell would-be pilgrims about the lack of residential space around the holy city. “What we are doing instead is telling those pilgrims staying in Aziziah that they will be shifted to hotels close to the Grand Mosque after Haj,” he said. “After Haj, these nearby hotels will be empty, and most of their current occupants will head to Madinah. Our Haj package is generally 40 days, and so we make sure that our pilgrims pray at ease and in peace after Haj.”

Sri Lankan pilgrim Inayat Mohibullah and his wife have no complaints despite staying quite far from the Grand Mosque. “We are staying in a district that is near the Ruseifah parking lot. Everyday, we walk to this place because we can’t afford the high rates these taxi drivers demand,” Mohibullah told Arab News, while digging into his favorite chicken at Al-Tazaj. “It takes us 40 minutes on foot. We did get into taxis on a couple of occasions, but the road is so crowded with pilgrims that it is better to walk than sit in a vehicle that moves literally at a snail’s pace."

He said Haj was all about endurance and sacrifice. “It is the journey at the end of which one is like a newborn baby,” he said. “For that to happen, one will have to go through small difficulties. What amazes me and touches me, however, is the helping nature of the pilgrims. The other day I saw an old man with a deeply furrowed face pushing a wheelchair with his wife in it. He was having difficulty negotiating a steep incline. There were so many young men who went rushing toward them to help the old man. It is this feeling and these images that keep our spirits and our adrenaline high as we look forward to the five-day rituals that we have to perform beginning Sunday.”

Saudi Arabia's 86-year-old king is suffering from slipped disc and has been advised complete rest. He will not be overseeing the Haj this year which begins on Sunday, Nov. 14.

An official Royal Court statement released late on Friday night said: “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud is suffering from back problems which doctors diagnosed as a herniated disc. Doctors have advised him rest.”

According to doctors quoted by news agencies, the slipping or rupturing of one of the discs in the spine, a herniated disc, is not life-threatening and is usually treated by rest, physical therapy and anti-inflammatory drugs.

There were concerns when the king failed to chair the Cabinet meeting on Monday. It was the king's younger brother, Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, who presided over the weekly session. At 76, Prince Naif is No. 3 in the royal hierarchy. The No. 2, 84-year-old Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, is also ostensibly not keeping well. He has been in Morocco since the end of August.

On Saturday, the king officially appointed Prince Naif to oversee the five-day Haj pilgrimage. King Abdullah became the sovereign in 2005 after the death of his brother King Fahd.

King Abdullah's popularity ratings continues to soar because of a series of path-breaking changes that he has helped usher in. He has restored Saudi Arabia's standing in the world after the severe battering it received in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Last week leading American business magazine Forbes ranked him as the third most powerful man in the world after Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama.

Saudi Arabia is currently experiencing a second oil boom and the kingdom has poured billions of dollars in infrastructural projects. Foreign investors too are lining up to have a piece of the pie. Saudi Arabia is among the few nations that came out unscathed after the recent global downturn.

About two million pilgrims listened with rapt attention to Imam Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais’ soul-stirring 40-minute sermon on Friday from the Grand Mosque in Makkah. The sermon was carried live on state television and many Arab, African and Asian television stations. On many occasions during the sermon the congregation was reduced to tears as the imam spoke about the tough times that Muslim world faces in these critical times.

Al-Sudais called for the liberation of Palestine and said now is the time for Palestinian factions to bury their differences. “These differences have only added to the miseries of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. This inhuman blockade has made life hellish for them. Now is the time for Muslim countries to unify their ranks and liberate Palestinians from the shackles of this inhuman bondage,” he said. “All differences among regional countries should be and can be resolved in the true spirit of Islam. The best example of our unity is this congregation in which every Muslim from every corner is united through the love of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Holy Qur’an.”

The imam described Palestine as the single biggest problem confronting the nation of Islam. “Every day brings a new form of misery for them,” he said, breaking down in tears. “O Allah, unite all Muslim nations.” The congregation responded with a vociferous “Aameen.”

Al-Sudais repeatedly stressed the value of unity. “Our divisions have given our adversaries the ruse to exploit us. We are fragmented despite being in such a large number. Unity is the key to our well-being. The message of Haj is unity. Let us pray for the unification of Muslims throughout the planet.”

The imam also stressed the need for hope and optimism with trust in Allah at all times of adversity. He quoted the Holy Qur’an: “And never give up hope in God’s soothing mercy: Truly no one despairs of God’s soothing mercy except those who have no faith.”

Al-Sudais congratulated the pilgrims for undertaking the most important journey of their lives. “This was your lifelong dream. You always wanted to be here. You always wanted to carry out this important task of Haj. Well, here you are in the holy land. You are lucky. It is all due to the blessings of Allah the Almighty. I congratulate you. From here you should take the most important message of Islam and that is tawheed (the oneness of Allah).”

Referring to Iraq, he said the cycle of unending wars has destroyed that nation. “Again, it is the lack of unity and petty issues that have been responsible for the tragedy in Iraq,” he said.

Al-Sudais thanked the Saudi leadership, led by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, for landmark projects to provide ease and comfort to the pilgrims during the various rituals of Haj. “The train services for pilgrims that go into operation this year are a remarkable achievement. May Allah protect this leadership, and may He grant them long life,” he said.

The Makkah Metro is ready to service pilgrims during this Haj. Saudi Arabia has poured billions of riyals into various infrastructure projects in Makkah, Mina and Arafat. The cost of such projects has never been passed onto the pilgrims.

Al-Sudais also paid rich tribute to all those Saudis who have dedicated themselves into the service of pilgrims. “You deserve congratulations for helping the guests of God. Allah has bestowed this rare honor on you to help the pilgrims, and you have not let the pilgrims down. May Allah keep you safe.”

“I've never experienced such calmness,” retired Nigerian military officer Salisu Ali said of Al-Sudais’ sermon. “I don’t speak Arabic nor do I understand it, but the verses that he was quoting from the Qur’an are all too familiar to us. And I could understand in what context he was quoting them. I couldn’t control my tears because everyone was crying. The sheikh moved us all.”

An aged Pakistani woman, Begum Jahanara Sarwat, said she never felt such peace. “We keep hearing all these bad stories and depressing events," she said. "However, today I did not feel weak at all. Why should I? We are this many people,” she added as she gestured to the throng of faithful. “Is it possible for our enemies to destroy us? These are momentary setbacks, my son. Don’t lose hope. Allah se acche ki ummeed rakho (Expect good from Allah)."

Every corner of the Grand Mosque was filled by pilgrims as early as 10 a.m. even though the time for Friday prayer was scheduled for 12:05 p.m. The relatively hot weather did not deter the pilgrims from performing the prayer on roads and in alleyways surrounding the mosque. The congregation thinned an hour after the prayer, and outside the mosque pigeons fluttered past the minarets and swooped down on any vacant space available in the mosque’s massive courtyard.

Spirituality combined with anxiety was evident on many pilgrims’ faces. With just 24 hours remaining before pilgrims begin the trek to the valley of Mina in the first leg of the five-day journey, the pilgrims’ minds are clearly focused on the rituals that they will perform in fulfillment of their obligations. “We are a little anxious. Being in Makkah is an overwhelming experience," said Syed Abbas, an elderly Indian man making his first pilgrimage. "There are so many people here. We come from a small town. Even performing circumambulation or tawaf is a big task."

This photo, provided by Mohammad Moin Khan, shows Shahryar, second from right, being honored in Jeddah immediately after the Jnanpith Award announcement.

By Siraj Wahab

Q: Who is Shahryar?A: Shahryar is the famous Urdu poet from India who is known in the Urdu and Hindi world for his beautiful songs in the classic Urdu film "Umrao Jaan". Critics rave about his poetry, but unlike his songs, his couplets have not been able to attain mass popularity. Perhaps, they are too refined for popular taste!

Q: What does that last bit mean?A: Almost all of his songs in "Umrao Jaan" and "Gaman" are on the lips of film and literature lovers. People croon them all the time without realizing that they were written by Shahryar. Each song of his is a literary masterpiece -- Dil Cheez Kya Hai Aap Meri Jaan Lijiye; In Ankhon Ki Masti Me; Juztaju Jiski Thi; Ye Kya Jagah Hai Doston, etc. Look at the beauty of his words in this song from "Gaman". This is my ultimate favorite:

Q: Why is he in the news these days?A: Because he has been conferred with the Jnanpith, India's topmost award in the field of literature.

Q: Is Shahryar his real name?A: No. His real name is Kunwar Akhlaq Mohammed Khan.

Q: How old is he?A: He is 74. He was born on June 16, 1936.

Q: His birthplace?A: Anwala village in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

Q: Aligarh Muslim University alumni are ecstatic at the honor given to him. Was he associated with the university? In what way?A: Shahryar is a quintessential AMU alumnus. He was associated with the university's Urdu department for several years and served as lecturer, reader, professor and department chairman. He retired from active service in 1996. It is also worth noting that he spent his formative years at AMU City High School and also completed his graduate studies at AMU. Perhaps his greatest assignment has been editorship of "Fikr-o-Nazar", the university's prestigious research publication. He was also member-in-charge of the university's Public Relations Office for some time.

Q: Is Jnanpith his first award?A: No. He got the Sahitya Akademy Award in 1987 for his anthology of Urdu poetry titled, "Khwab Ka Dar Band Hai".

Q: Is he the first Urdu litterateur to get the Jnanpith?A: No. He is the fourth. Firaq Gorakhpuri (1969), Qurratulain Haider (1989) and Ali Sardar Jafri (1997) were the previous recipients of the award.

Q: After attaining stupendous success with "Umrao Jaan," he had a bright career ahead of him as a lyricist in Bollywood. Why did he stop writing lyrics for films?A: Let me quote from one of his previous interviews for the answer. This is what Shahryar says: "The songs that are being made nowadays — I can't write such songs. It is not that I am against those songs but I know I can't write like that. That is why I am not writing for films anymore ... After 'Umrao Jaan', I did write lyrics for some films. One of them was 'Anjuman' made by Muzaffar Ali and many more that unfortunately could not release due to certain circumstances. Then there was one called 'Habba Khatun Zuni'. All the songs got recorded; in fact the film also was almost complete, but because of the Kashmir issue it got shelved. Another reason for my absence from the Bollywood scene was that I did not consider myself a professional lyricist, plus I don't live in Mumbai."

Q: How is Shahryar related to Moghi Tabassum of Hyderabad, Deccan?A: The two of them edit the Indian Subcontinent's most prestigious literary journal, "Sher-o-Hikmat". When last heard, the publication was facing a financial crunch. Shahryar was also very close to the late Awaz Sayeed. In fact, there is an interesting essay on Shahryar in Awaz Sayeed's book of sketches called "Khaake".

Q: Your favorite couplets from Shahryar?A: These two from his ghazal "Zindagi Jaisi Tamanna Thi Nahin Kuch Kam Hai" are my favorite. He read this ghazal at the mushaira in Jeddah on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010, a day before the Jnanpith award was announced. This ghazal is perhaps closest to Shahryar's heart as well because he recites this one at all poetry gatherings. He did recite this in the 2005 Jeddah mushaira as well.

Q: What is so great about Shahryar's poetry?A: I put that question to Hifzur Rahman, the Riyadh-based Indian diplomat, who is himself a connoisseur of Urdu poetry and literature. This is what he has to say: "Shahryar's greatest contribution is that he refused to break the mold of ghazal. What he did was to add a dash of modernity to this popular genre without tampering with its traditional structure. This is a particularly tough task, but not for Shahryar. He came out with some of the best lines in Urdu poetry."

Pakistani poets proved their prowess at the recent mushaira organized by Jeddah-based Aalami Urdu Markaz at the Pakistan International School in Jeddah’s Aziziya district. With fresh ideas, unique phraseology, superb coinage of metaphors and amazing imagery, these talented literary figures created an evening that will not easily be forgotten.

Ijaz Rahmani was next in line to wow the audience with simple, yet amazing lines. His first two couplets — “Jitne Afraad Khandaan Mein Hain, Utni Deewarein Darmiyaan Mein Hain” and “Apne Dushman Ko De Diye Humne, Teer Hi Ab Kahan Kamaan Mein Hain” — literally cast a spell on the audience. They listened to him with rapt attention; the silence was only broken by a crescendo of “wah-wahs” at the end of each couplet.

Indeed, Sarshar Siddiqui is one of the best exponents of Urdu poetry in all its forms, gifted as he is with a rare mode of thought and feeling about love and rebellion. He has given a new meaning to the craft of Urdu poetry. He proved that with a repertoire of classic couplets at the Mehfil-e-Mushaira.

Among the local Pakistani poets who presented their compositions were Naseem Sahar, Qamar Haider Qamar, Habib Siddiqui, Shaukat Jamal and Mohsin Alvi.

Saudi Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, known for his poetic talents, died Sunday at 70, the Royal Court announced. He died at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh following a prolonged illness. He was buried Sunday evening after funeral prayers at Riyadh's Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque.

"Al-Gosaibi was a prominent government official who served the country sincerely with dedication. He had held several important positions and the last position was the minister of labor," the Royal Court said.

Acting Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam attended the prayers along with a large number of citizens and expatriates, many of whom recalled with fondness the impact the minister made on so many lives and his efforts to promote the employment of Saudis in all levels of employment. The minister was well-known for maintaining high spirits even when addressing heady issues.

"I barely remember a time when Al-Gosaibi was not in some form or other a part of the government, impacting many of the decisions that we are living with - from health clinics, water consumption to issues of unemployment and work visas," said celebrity and popular talk-show host Muna AbuSulayman. "His death has touched so many people, not just because of his multifaceted talents and literary work but also because of his legendary dry wit and sense of humor."

Al-Gosaibi served as Saudi ambassador to Bahrain from 1984 to 1992, and then to the UK from 1992 to 2002. He served as minister of industry and electricity from 1975 to 1982 before becoming minister of health (1982-1984) and minister of water (2002-2005).

He was also known as a prolific Saudi literary talent who published dozens of books, including essays, poetry, and love stories, some of which were banned in the Kingdom. Before a recent decision by Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja to lift the ban on his works, these books were available in neighboring Arab countries such as Bahrain, Lebanon and Egypt. Among his controversial works is a collection of poetry called "A Battle Without a Flag" and a novel called "An Apartment Called Freedom."

"The irony was he was representing the government as the labor minister, and it was this same government that banned his works," said AbuSulayman. "It only symbolizes the contradictory world we live in."

"He was a pioneer of Saudi literature," said Qassim-based novelist Khaled Al-Awadh. "When he wrote "Shuggat Al-Hurriya" ("An Apartment Called Freedom") years ago, it inspired many Saudis to try their hand at novels. That was the first Saudi novel in strict literary terms. His style was matchless. He was endowed with so many characteristics. He was our literary icon, our cultural ambassador, a great administrator, all rolled into one. It is a big, big loss."

In 2002 he published a controversial poem titled "You are the Martyrs," an ode to Palestinian teenager Ayat Akhras, who blew herself up two weeks earlier in a Jerusalem supermarket, killing two Israelis. He praised Akhras as the "bride of the heavens" who "stands up to the criminal" and "kisses death with a smile."

"He appealed to people of all ages," said journalist Wajdi Sindi. "Elders, youngsters, women, children — everybody was under the magical spell of his words."

Dr. Majid Kazi, personal physician to the late King Fahd, described Al-Gosaibi as a great human being and an outstanding poet on the world stage.

"It was heartbreaking for me to learn about his departure," he said. "May God shower His blessings on this great thinker of his time and on his family. I have seen him time and again at close quarters as minister of health, as a bubbly friend and, above all, as an inspiring poet whose lyrical philosophical lines will continue to echo in the minds even far beyond our familiar sand dunes."

Dr. Kazi recalled how his late brother Qazi Saleem, the famous Urdu poet from India, was enchanted by Al-Gosaibi and his poetry. “My brother could not help but translate some of Al-Gosaibi’s poems in English and Urdu poetry, and the collection, entitled ‘Lyrics From Saudi Arabia’, was published by an American publishing house in late 1980s.”

Jeddah-based diplomat and analyst Isam Shanti said he was the most recognized Arab litterateur. "When I was in Syria in the 1980s, his novels and poems were the rage. As a politician, he also made a huge impact on the psyche of Arabs with his thoughts and actions."

Shanti said he was referred to as the Second Mutanabbi. "Mutanabbi was the greatest Arab poet. He was known for his classical lines. Al-Gosaibi came very close to Mutanabbi in the craft of poetry."

As a minister charged with boosting employment among Saudis who he said were only interested in high-paying, easy jobs, Al-Gosaibi served hamburgers in 2008 for three hours at a Jeddah fast food restaurant - a job usually filled by foreign workers. Later in a press event, Al-Gosaibi's photo appeared in the country's newspapers showing him prepping food in a restaurant kitchen; he was telling the nation's youth that there was nothing dishonorable about this type of work.

Al-Gosaibi told the collected audience at the 2008 Jeddah Economic Forum that he looked for Aladdin's Lamp every day. "Should I get one, and if the genie appears, I will ask for two wishes. My first wish will be to have 100 businessmen like Muhammad Jameel, the chief of ALJ Co. He has single-handedly provided thousands of jobs to Saudi youngsters." He paused and then said: "You want to know my second wish, don't you? Take this ministry away from me."

Al-Gosaibi was born in the eastern Saudi city of Hufuf on March 3, 1940 to a prominent business family. He earned a degree in law at the University of Cairo in 1961, a master's degree in international relations at the University of Southern California in 1964, and a doctorate in law at the University of London in 1970.

Other important posts held by Al-Gosaibi were: Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and head of the department of political science at King Saud University; director of the Saudi Railways Organization, chairman of Jubail Petrochemical Company (Sadaf) and Yanbu Petrochemical Company (Yanpet). He also served on Public Investment Fund, Supreme Manpower Council, and Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. He was instrumental in setting up Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).

He authored more than 60 books including "Shuggat Al-Hurriya" (1994), "Al-Asfooriyah" (1996), "Denesco" (2002), "Hekayat Hub" (2004), "Abu Shalakh Al-Barmai" (2006) and "Al-Jeneyyah" (2006). In "Hayatum Fil Idara" he explained his administrative experiences until he became ambassador to the UK.

Despite his formal status, Al-Gosaibi's poetry, written with clear language and an eloquent style, reveals a deep involvement in Arab life and political experience, and reflects great love for simple beauty, innocence, and uncomplicated human relations in contrast to the pomp and flourish of the high life around him.

"He passed away leaving behind a highly creative output spanning many genres of writing," said poet Nimah Nawwab. "His poetry, ground-breaking novels, outspokenness and sharp wit marked him in numerous ways. He was unafraid of backlashes and lived a life full of remarkable events."

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, or simply Dr. A.Q. Khan, is known as the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb. This Bhopal-born Pakistani physicist and metallurgist is seen as a role model and hero in the Islamic world for having given his country the ultimate weapon to defend itself against archrival India.

He faced a particularly harrowing and humiliating time during the military regime of Pervez Musharraf to the extent that in February 2004 he was forced to admit on national television that he was involved in proliferating nuclear know-how to Iran and North Korea.

In an in-depth interview in Urdu with veteran Pakistani journalist Mazhar Abbas, which was broadcast on the Dubai-based ARY Television in two parts in July 2010, the 74-year-old Dr. Khan talked in detail about the history of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, the trials and tribulations that he and his family endured and his relationships with various civilian leaders and military generals over the three decades that he has been at the helm of Pakistan’s atomic program.

He appeared relaxed and did not sound bitter. In fact, he was rather forthcoming in bringing interesting mysteries of the past into the light of the day. The interview was titled, Pakistan Ke Aetami Program Ki Kahani Us Ke Khaaliq Ki Zabani (“The History of Pakistan’s Atomic Program in the Words of Its Architect”).

In his introduction, Mazhar Abbas said though Dr. Khan is supposedly a free man as per the Pakistani court’s orders, there is still a huge security blanket around his residence in Islamabad. This prompted him to quote a meaningful couplet from a famous Pakistani poet Jaun Elia:

Ab Jo Rishton Me Bandha Hun To Khula Hai Mujh Par

Kab Parind Ud Nahi Sakte Hain Paron Ke Hote

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

Q: When did Pakistan’s atomic program start?

A: Pakistan’s quest for a nuclear weapon started on May 18, 1974. If you want to go a little further back, then it was Dec. 16, 1971. That was the darkest day in Pakistan’s history. Our forces had surrendered before the Indians in Dhaka. I was in Belgium in those days. I had completed my doctoral thesis and was waiting to defend my research before the team of scholars. It was a very, very sad day. I cried a lot that night. I didn’t eat for many days. I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that our army, in which we had so much faith, could be defeated and surrender in such a humiliating manner. However, as with all wounds, this wound too was healed but only physically. The mental scar remained forever, and the pain of that wound could never subside. When I got my PhD, I left Belgium for The Netherlands. There I got a job at one of the best companies that was involved in helping another firm enriching uranium through centrifuges. It was a dream job. At the time I never thought I would ever work on a project as prestigious as that in Pakistan. I always gave my best to whatever I did. I worked very hard on such projects. I did my homework diligently. I would make lots of notes. I used to study a lot. I was a happy man. Then suddenly, out of the blue, India conducted a nuclear test on May 18, 1974. The world was shaken. Pakistan was all the more shaken because we had not even recovered from the tragedy of 1971.

Q: What happened next?

A: I wrote a letter to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. ‘Our goose has literally been cooked,’ I wrote to the prime minister. ‘If we do not take appropriate steps, it is my fear that after 10 years Pakistan will not remain in whatever shape it has been left after 1971.’ I warned him that our country will be dismembered again and again. All the smaller states will become India’s satellites. ‘Please do something,’ I wrote and offered my services in exploring the nuclear option. ‘I have some experience in this field, and I can be of help.’ Bhutto immediately asked me to come down to Pakistan. In those years I would come to Pakistan every year during Christmas holidays to see my mother and my siblings in Karachi. I came down in December 1974 and met Bhutto. He told me about his government’s contact with a French company for the setting up of a fuel reprocessing plant. I told him frankly that whoever had given him the idea about the French plant was actually misleading him. ‘These people are trying to fool you,’ I told him. ‘If you are going to buy such a plant from France then all engineers working on the plant will be French nationals; they will be posted right here; and the plant will be under the constant supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.’

Q: What was Bhutto’s reaction?

A: He was aghast. ‘I was given a different impression,’ he told me. ‘What is the way out?’ I, therefore, gave him an alternate blueprint to work on and assured him that I would be visiting Pakistan frequently to help out on the nuclear research. The next day he called Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Chairman Munir Ahmad Khan and asked me to meet him. I met him and explained to him what all I had in my mind. However, very soon I realized that this task was beyond him. Munir Ahmad Khan was a mediocre electrical engineer from Lahore’s University of Engineering and Technology (UET). He had done a nine-month diploma course from North Carolina State Polytechnic. It was on the basis of this diploma that he became the chairman of PAEC. Moreover, he was the brother of one of Bhutto’s close political supporters. Anyway, I explained everything to Munir Ahmad Khan and then left Pakistan at the end of my vacation.

Q: When did you come back next?

A: I came back the next year. That was December 1975. I called on Bhutto, and he asked me to check out the nuclear program’s progress. I went to the PAEC field office in Rawalpindi. There was just one engineer. He was also like Munir Ahmad Khan and then there were some 10-12 technicians. They all seemed like working on a road construction project. I went back and told Bhutto what all I saw.

Q: What did Bhutto say?

A: He asked me about my itinerary. ‘I will back in The Netherlands in a couple of days at the end of my annual vacation.’ ‘No, you are not going back,’ Bhutto told me. My first reaction was one of shock. I was staying in Europe for 15 years. I had a very good and steady job. My employers had given me a cozy place in Amsterdam. I used to travel a lot for company work. I used to represent The Netherlands at the European Economic Community (EEC) meetings in Brussels. I also had huge offers of professorship from prestigious European universities. Since my father was a headmaster, I always had this fascination and desire to become a teacher. I seriously thought of becoming a professor. When Bhutto told me I am not going back, I was a little reluctant. I told Bhutto about my reluctance. ‘No, no, no, please, don’t go back. Our country is facing a grave crisis. You yourself have admitted this in your letter to me. It is a matter of our country’s survival,’ he told me. I said, ‘Let me go and seek my wife’s opinion.’

Q: What did she say?

A: She was shocked. She is Dutch herself, and her aging parents were in The Netherlands. She was the only child of her parents. ‘What are you saying?’ she exclaimed rather agitatedly. ‘We are only here to spend our vacation. You have got such a nice job. There are excellent educational facilities for our children.’ I listened to her persistent reasoning and at the end of the conversation, I told her, ‘OK, we are not staying here; we are going back.’ At that moment, she stopped me and said: ‘Hold on, let me get over this shock and let me swallow it and rethink about the whole proposal.’ Then came the key question. ‘Listen, you have never lied to me. You are an honest man, and I am proud of you. Tell me, if you stay back, will you be able to do anything good for Pakistan?’ I told her, ‘Honestly, nobody other than yours truly can do this job for Pakistan.’ ‘All right then, we are not going back.’ She has always been a great support. Even now during our worst phase during the Musharraf regime, she was there for me. Going back to 1975, it was decided that my wife would go back to The Netherlands and convince her parents about our decision to stay back in Pakistan and to bring back the school leaving certificates of our children.

Q: So you remained in Pakistan and she went back ….?

A: Yes. She came back two months later. That was a very difficult time for us. Far from the comforts of Europe, we had no decent place to live. Nor did we ask Bhutto out of modesty. I got down to work. There was one particular mechanical engineer. His name was Khokhar. He was a crackpot. He would fight with people. He, however, respected me, and I realized that he was very talented in his job. The two of us got down and started doing the blueprints. I got my first salary after six months. It was 3,000 rupees.

Q: Did you face any obstacles in between? There were reports that you and PAEC Chairman Munir Ahmad Khan had frequent run-ins?

A: I am a go-getter. I wasn’t used to paperwork and bureaucracy. The person I was reporting to, Munir Ahmad Khan, was not a scientist. He had a clerical mentality. I was getting frustrated, so I shot off a letter to Bhutto, saying: ‘I have come here to carry out a certain task. I cannot work with this man. Let me go back.’ I remember using very harsh language in that particular letter. I was angry. The very next day I got a phone call to meet Bhutto and his advisers in Lahore. ‘OK, we will remove Munir Ahmad Khan and make you the chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission,’ they suggested. ‘No,’ I said. ‘That would be a disaster; people in Europe know full well that I have worked on uranium enrichment in their countries, and my becoming PAEC chief will ring alarm bells in the corridors of power in Europe, and then they will create all kinds of obstacles.’ I told them to make anybody the PAEC chief, but let me have a free hand. They acceded to my request.

Q: Did anybody get wind of the project in the initial stages?

A: The Europeans got some hint. I will tell you how. In 1979, we placed an order for 100 inverters from a British firm called Emerson Electric. Just after we placed the order, the company’s employees went on strike demanding a pay hike. The member of Parliament who went to sort out the problem was told by the employees that the company had a huge order from Pakistan for inverters, and yet it was not giving them bonuses. The MP also happened to be a member of the British Atomic Energy Authority. He knew all the uses of inverters. He was the one who blew the whistle. And so there was a ban on the sale of inverters to Pakistan, but by then I had made alternate arrangements.

Q: When did the enrichment actually took place?

A: The big breakthrough came on April 6, 1978. That was the day we succeeded in running a centrifuge at almost 65,000 revolutions per minute (rpm), which is nearly 1,050 revolutions per second. To put gas into the centrifuge at that speed was a big achievement. I wrote to Ghulam Ishaq Khan, the close confidant of Gen. Ziaul Haq, that we tested the machine and that it was successful. ‘It is a first step on a long way,’ I wrote to him. ‘But it is a successful step.’ He immediately informed Gen. Zia who in turn wrote a letter to me, which I treasure even to this day. ‘Heartiest congratulations,’ it said. ‘See me immediately.’ I went to see him. He was delighted. ‘This is the greatest breakthrough,’ I repeated. By 1981, we started high enrichment. By 1982, we were enriching 50 percent. A little later, we started producing 90 percent enriched uranium. You need 90 percent enrichment for the bomb.

Q: It was during this time that you met Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar. There was a lot of controversy. Some said there was a slip of the tongue on your part? Was the meeting with Nayar designed to convey a message to the world that Pakistan had arrived on the world nuclear stage?

A: Kuldip Nayar was a friend of Mushahid Hussain, and Mushahid was a good friend of mine. Mushahid called me from the airport saying that a friend of his (he mentioned Kuldip Nayar’s name) had come from India and that the two of them were coming to see me. Mushahid said he wanted to drop his wedding invitation, as well. So he came along with Nayar. It was evening time ... a time when there is no domestic help at our home. So my wife made tea and prepared some snacks herself. We were having tea when Kuldip Nayar, a typical Indian sly fox, said, ‘I am from Sialkot and living on the other side, and you are from Bhopal and living on this side ... Partition was meaningless.’ ‘Hold on,’ I told him: ‘If Nehru and Gandhi had agreed then Quaid-e-Azam was the biggest backer of India’s unity. Shortsightedness and narrow-mindedness was from your side. This is the truth. You can read all the books in the world on the issue.’ ‘India is such a big country,’ said Nayar. ‘It is 10 times bigger than Pakistan. If you make 10 bombs, India will make 100 ….’ So I cut him short. ‘Don’t be under any illusion. There will now be no repeat of 1971. We have ensured 1971 will never happen to Pakistan again … By the way, you don’t need 100 bombs. You just need five bombs that you can use against our big cities, and they are not more than five. And even for us not more than five are required. We will break your back with them. If you can make 100, then we too are in a position to make five. Ye hamari chutki ka khel hai (It is very easy for us).’ He went back and made a lot of fuss about our conversation. There was no indiscretion on my part. I wanted to send across a message. I am aware of the Hindu mentality. I wanted to make it very plain to them. (The Khan-Nayar meeting took place on Jan. 27, 1987, and India carried out Operation Brasstacks exercises right on the Pakistani border in March that year.)

Q: Was there any pressure on you afterward suggesting that you should not have said what you said?

A: No, no, there was no pressure.

Q: When was Pakistan in a position to conduct a nuclear test?

A: By the end of 1984, we were in full position to conduct a proper test. On Dec. 10, 1984, I wrote a letter to Gen. Zia stating our preparedness to conduct a test. ‘This is a great piece of news,’ Gen. Zia told me after reading the letter. He hugged me and kissed me on the forehead. ‘There is nothing to worry anymore. I will let you know when to conduct the test.’

Q: Then why did it take so long to conduct it? From 1984 to 1998 is a long time, isn’t it?

A: We had the full intention of conducting a test in 1984. Our closest friends too suggested that we do it. Gen. Zia too was in full favor. As promised, Gen. Zia called me after two weeks for a meeting. ‘Our ties with America are good now. America is providing us with arms. Our army needs these weapons, and we are getting them. We have the bomb. We don’t really need to test it right way, do we?’ Those were Gen. Zia’s words. We agreed. So that is how we did not conduct the test then.

Q: You were closely associated with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Did you try to intervene on his behalf with Gen. Zia to save him from the gallows?

A: Yes, we did our best. Thanks to my close relationship with Gen. Zia, I would take a lot of liberty with him. Let me narrate one incident to indicate our close relationship. Once in his presidential office he was munching on almonds in our presence. ‘You are eating all the almonds and getting all the strength ... We too are working hard, let us also have some,’ I told him in jest. He laughed out loud, pushing the silvery almond tray toward me. We were on very good terms. However, whenever I would talk about Bhutto’s case he would skillfully avoid the issue. He would just smile. I remember telling him about the repercussions of hanging Bhutto. I would cite the example of Turkey. ‘Look what happened in Turkey after the hanging of the deposed Prime Minister Adnan Menderes ... Such things lead to a vertical split in society.’ Gen. Zia would say nothing. Having drawn a blank from him, I took up the issue with UAE Foreign Minister Ahmad Al-Suwaidi. Our ambassador in the UAE then was Jamiluddin Hassan. He was an old friend of mine. He was the one who solemnized our marriage ceremony in the Pakistani Embassy in The Hague. Famous bureaucrat and writer Qudratullah Shahab was the ambassador at the time, and he was one of the witnesses to my marriage. Qudratullah Shahab was a very nice man. He was a gentleman; may God bless his soul. My friend Jamiluddin Hassan told me that the UAE ambassador was going to London and that it would be advisable for me to meet him there. I went to London. He told me Sheikh Zayed is Bhutto’s friend, and that he is doing his best. Then I thought maybe Turkey will be able to help us save Bhutto. Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit was a strong man. He was a friend of Pakistan, and so I went to Istanbul from London. From Istanbul I went to Ankara and went straight to the prime minister’s office. There was no appointment. At his office, I met a very senior officer and told him that it was very important for me to meet the prime minister. I showed him my diplomatic passport. He took me to Ecevit’s principal secretary. He told me Ecevit was very busy. ‘I need only four minutes with him,’ I told the principal secretary. I did meet Ecevit. He told me he was very worried for Pakistan. ‘We hanged Adnan Menderes, and we are still suffering. We are sending a parliamentary delegation in the next few days to Pakistan. It will do its best to save Bhutto from the gallows,’ he told me. However, Gen. Zia would tell everybody, ‘OK, we will look into it. We will reconsider.’ The truth, however, was he had decided much in advance to finish Bhutto. When Bhutto was hanged on April 4, 1979, it was a sad moment. It was not a good thing. We are still paying the price for that. If Gen. Zia had sent him into exile it would not have been such a festering wound.

Q: Gen. Zia died in plane crash in 1988. What was the nuclear scene during Benazir Bhutto’s first term as prime minister?

A: When Benazir came into power, things went on as they were. Americans were still clueless. Let me narrate an interesting incident. One of the top generals that I knew very well met me at the GHQ and said, ‘Doctor Sahab there is something important to discuss. Come over for a cup of tea.’ I went to him. He told me that the CIA station head in Islamabad had sent us a letter. He showed me the letter. ‘You had a major breakthrough,’ it said. ‘You think you could trick us. We have found out. Now you have started crossing the red lines. You are producing weapons grade uranium.’ This was in 1990-1991. I smiled sarcastically and told the general, ‘Mashallah, the American intelligence is very good! They didn’t know that we were doing this in 1980-1981, a full ten years earlier. We were already producing the core in 1983. If they knew that seven years later then all this means that all their intelligence is hoax. It is all cooked up.’

Q: There is this charge that the civilian leadership was not taken into confidence and that the nuclear program was strictly a military enterprise?

A: This is a totally baseless allegation. When Benazir took over, we met in the presence of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. It was Benazir herself who said Ghulam Ishaq Khan should look after the nuclear program. But whenever the meeting on nuclear program would take place, Benazir used to be part of it. When the first meeting took place, Ghulam Ishaq Khan was there; Benazir was there; Army chief Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg was there. ‘What is the current position?’ Gen. Beg asked me. I told them all. This is the inventory. We made this many bombs; this many are under production — everything. Benazir looked at the details, and then wondered if whatever we had at the moment was enough for the purposes of deterrence. She said she wanted to apply the brakes on the nuclear enrichment for some time. ‘I am going to see the Americans soon, and I want to ask for aid,’ she said. ‘If we stop this then it will strengthen our case.’ Gen. Beg said, ‘Yes, it is OK. Our capability is fine at the moment. We can stop for some time. There is no problem.’ At the end of that meeting, Benazir suggested that we hold the enrichment to 5 percent. And so it was decided in principle to scale down the enrichment process. However, we, the nuclear scientists, were worried that if we stop the enrichment then restarting the whole process would be extremely difficult. I told my colleagues, ‘Listen, let us continue our work ... because if we stop now restarting this will be a gargantuan task. Let us just keep quiet. Nobody will ask us and we need not tell anybody. We will continue to enrich at our 90 percent capacity.’ And that is exactly what happened.

Q: Was there any personal conflict between you and Musharraf?

A: No, nothing. He is a very haughty man. Since he was a commando he was known for his brazen and brash style. You must have seen him the way he would talk and stand up with his hands on his hips and chest all pumped up ... Nobody around him had the guts to speak the truth to him. They were all hangers-on. The moment he took over, he called me and said: 'Nobody will go outside the country without my permission.' I told him: 'This has never happened before. From Day 1, we maintained a register. Every single detail was recorded: Where were we going? Who were we meeting? Why were we meeting? Where will we be staying? Who all would be going? And our contact numbers during our stay abroad. After coming back, I would always give a briefing.' The thing is before he usurped power, Musharraf had already sold his soul to the Americans. They had brainwashed him and asked him to check the nuclear program. Musharraf created a lot of obstacles for us. He held back crucial funds. He asked us to sever our ties with North Korea and Iran.

Q: Is it true that North Korea provided missiles to Pakistan during the war with India in Kargil in 1999?

A: Yes, I myself went to North Korea. They provided 200 shoulder-fired missiles. They didn’t even ask for money.

Q: What all was behind your televised confession during the proliferation crisis in February 2004?

A: Musharraf told me, ‘You are our hero. Just apologize. We will reinstate you immediately. If you don’t take this blame on yourself, this country will be destroyed. The UN Security Council will impose sanctions on us.’ I told them my appearance on television would only aggravate the situation. They thought otherwise; they thought it prudent to make an individual the sacrificial lamb. To me the whole thing was like lodging an FIR against your own self. I reminded them that we had not signed the nonproliferation treaty and therefore we were not bound to disclose anything ... I tried my best to make them see reason and to understand the folly of their idiocy, but everybody was power drunk. Us waqt har ek masti me tha.

Q: Did you consult your wife before going on television to read that confession?

A: No. They just took me from my home. I didn’t even know where they were taking me. A brigadier took me to Camp House which was Musharraf’s residence. Musharraf spoke to me for five-ten minutes. ‘This issue has become very complicated for us. The Americans are very upset. They will impose sanctions on us. You are our hero. We will rehabilitate you. Admit that you were responsible for all this proliferation.’ A couple of minutes later Makhdoom Ali Khan, the attorney general, took me aside and handed over a text. ‘This is what you have to read on television,’ he told me.

Q: What was your reaction?

A: After going through the text I told them you are blaming me for everything. ‘Ye to pura ka pura gandh mere upar hi daal rahen hain.’ There was stuff that did not happen at all. ‘This is not the truth,’ I protested. ‘Facts are quite the opposite.’ Anyway, I told Makhdoom Ali Khan, ‘OK, if you want me to read this, I will. However, I want you to insert one particular line: That my colleagues and I did all this in good faith.’ I wanted to convey a subtle message to the people through that ‘good faith’ line.

Q: What were your feelings then?

A: At the time, there was not much reaction. However, now I feel very angry thinking how low Musharraf could go in his dirty quest to retain power. He was sacrificing the hero of the nation to hold on to power. He was humiliating the savior of Pakistan. I literally saved Pakistan. When I reached home after the TV appearance, there were guards all around. Overnight they turned me into a prisoner. People will remember the incalculable damage Musharraf did to Pakistan. History will judge me and my contribution.

Q: You are every Pakistani’s hero. Who in Pakistan is or was your biggest hero?

A: The best ruler whose integrity and whose love for Pakistan could never be questioned was President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.